Hey guys.. I need ideas on how to move a box truck for a future project... Its bout 10'long and 6' wide..sitting on the ground.. I need to do it my self because a tow truck driver or anyone who dont know how much you can damage panels like that will just Drag it or push it carelessly onto a trailer or flatbed. I was thinking jacking it up about 3' and bolting an axle and a hitch then drag it slowly up the road...it needs to go a mile on a dirt road.. Its like a 1930s box,wood and galvinized sheet metal. Wood frame and wood interior.. It was a meat delivery truck.. Tia.
Up here in snow country, we have snowmobile trailers. They are about that size, but have small wheels under the deck. Jack it up, back the trailer under it, let it down, drive away.
I was thinking using something like that but its gotta fit underneath and inside the skirts,other wise They get crushed and well more work. My late uncle gave me this so It's very important to me
Do you have any other trailer(s) I would do like Steve said, get a couple 4x4's or if it is heavier than it looks a couple 6x6's for skids and then put pallets on the skids to clear the fenders/skirts then pull the whole thing onto a trailer. I do this with machines and my 22ft car trailer. I raise the front until the dovetail is on the ground or close and then use a pair of ramps or blocking to make the transition from ground to trailer and pull with either winch or comealong. Idea 2 would be raise it enough to get it onto a roller frame and pull that up onto a trailer. Or a variant of that would be to make the skid/frame and call a roll back wrecker. If they/you pull on the frame of the skid, it would be harder to tear it up. Not sure what if anything you have available to use..... Oh, btw, that is a very cool box, love the top trim work on the front.
I'm with toquik. I'd build a square from from 2X4 or 4X4 wood tall enough to sit inside and get the skirts 6" off the ground. Bolt the body to the wood frame. Then bolt two 4X4's to the bottom lengthwise as far to the left/right sides as you can, cut the front at an progressive angle and use them as skis. It's a mile of dirt road, right?
Yes,a mile dirt road but 1' sand in some places and have to go over the freeway entrance for at least 200 feet...ive done this with projects that have wheels but never something that needs care or other wise itll crumble.... I think it has big enough flat panels that can be replicated... I love the idea of taking everything usable and makibg my own frame from scratch but i am a gluton for punishment.. This is the inside after i cleaned it up.. It has insulation on the inside hoping that its not asbestos. Most of the sheet metal,trim and wood is nailed down so everything might come apart and rebuild... Im thinking a 2 year project.. It would look cool behind a 50s COE or snubnose.
Pardon the crude MS Paint rendering. Throw a chain through the front two uprights (on the left of the picture) and drag the ****er home!
looks good inside, Have you got the cab over up and running? if not I am thinkin' dedication, dedication, repeat after me, dedication.... Any interest in mine?? open conversation with me, you might hav' got the box free, But,,,most stuff ain't cheap now days, don't come a beggin' with a dream.. Bob
I feel kind of bad, I've got all the stuff you need around my yard. I can go out and cut a couple of trees to make main beams, I got tons of 4X4s for cribbing, a trailer axle I could lash to the beams and a ball hitch mounted to a big C channel, but I'm 1500 miles away. I surely can see why you want to get it home, it has a lot of character, and fits behind an old cab well. I dragged an old truck 2 1/2 miles down a state highway here in Wisconsin with its front axle sliding on the concrete. (cloud of smoke at every tar strip) It had rear wheels and tires, but no hubs on the front, "get the tractor, we'll get it home." 50 years ago, you could do stuff like that and not end up in jail. LOL
Well thanks for your good thoughts.. Ive been obsessing about it for years,my uncle was s****ping a bunch of stuff a while ago aand i begged him not to s**** that one after they s****ped a smaller one with a rollup door,similar round corners and 1951 California commercial plate.. Then he asked me if i wanted it..of course i said yes.. He p***ed away on friday night at only 45 years old. I wanted to get it out of there before the family strarts s****ping again so I went out there today,cleaned it up,jacked it up off the dirt,i started to make a custom trailer for it but before i went and dragged it,i made sure to talk to his brother(my father in law) and he said I can't have it because it has his brothers name written on it somewhere and it's special to him..so im going to take plenty of pictures and measurements and make my own... Later in life.. Anyway thanks guys...now my coe can have my full attention... Im waiting on 2 screws to finish my brake rebuild,wiring harness,2 wheels, I need to buy a gas tank,battery and some odds and ends..
Damn, sorry to hear that! I found a trailer supply place that sells round corners that have an 8" radius. I don't know if this is the place I got mine from, but it might give you some ideas http://www.tjtrailers.com/store/body-components-roof-caps-fender-backs-corner-posts.html When I made my sleeper I chose an 8" radius to match. As long as you can find a fab shot to roll the straight sections, you should be able to make a good copy.
Wow..yeah...Thats a good website to keep an eye to.. Flat beds,pick up boxes,rollbacks,tow trucks they are cool but a vintage box is something way cool... The flat sheet metal and 90° rounded corners can be fabbed and now u posted a site for box corners..this is a very doable thing... Make the frame outta 1" 16 tubing and your set. Thanks Steve.. Im gonna look at your thread again And find ideas like this one
I'm bringing this back to the top because I did my sleeper roof with the round corners, I think it turned out great. First thing was to radius the straight portions of the skin, you are looking at a section of an old oxygen bottle and a whole bunch of C-clamps. Crude, but gives me a 8" radius in 20 gauge sheet steel. I used load straps to clamp the skin down tightly to the framework before welding I didn't trim the corners for an edge to edge fit, so they are lapped about an inch. I'm not the greatest metal finisher, so there will be some filler over the welds. These are 8 ft in the air, so they won't be as critical as if they were eye level.
How'd you make the corners? Hey, Flattie... Sorry to hear about your uncle.. 45 is a young man. Can you convince his brother that the box will have a distinguished and appropriate place on a COE? Maybe offer him first right of refusal? As gently as possible, remind him that he offered it to you. If possible, might let the wounds of losing your uncle heal a little first.
I bought the corners. http://www.redneck-trailer.com/ProductsServices/Products page 312 of their catalog
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